Q&A with SCBWI Illustrators' Advisory Committee

 

In this session, the members of the SCBWI Advisory Council's Illustrator Committee answered questions from attendees. The Committee reminded everyone of all the opportunities for illustrators (and writer-illustrators) through the SCBWI, including: Regional events, regional webinars, illustrator galleries, Awards & Grants For Illustrators, and other challenges.

They expressed huge appreciation to SCBWI Illustrator Coordinators.

Just a few takeaways:

Cecilia Yung relies on websites rather than social media to find illustrators because she wants to see how illustrators curate their own work. She prefers embedded images rather than links ("links can come with their issues, as you all know"). Do your homework before submitting your art to an art director, don't waste their time. She is seeking art with a narrative, that tells a story. One-off images are not useful. Can you draw a character in perspective? Can you draw a full body rather than just a head? Convey setting, mood, emotions?

When Paul O. Zelinsky feels stuck, he says he makes his hand do something it doesn't do. Try copying something (not for work, but to get your creative juices flowing again). Priscilla Burris adds that it doesn't matter where you are in your career, we all get stuck sometimes. She finds putting on music helps her. She says do what you need to free yourself, take off the pressure. Take time to have fun and play. Dana Carey says when she feels stuck, she plays around with different types of media.

Physical health tips: Take frequent breaks (not just your body but also your eyes). Keep moving. Do stretches. Priscilla Burris says that even if you're under a tight deadline, sometimes taking a break away from your studio will help refresh you. Dana Carey says there are 5- and 10-min exercises on YouTube that can help.

Do you want to present yourself as being professional? Meet deadlines, says Priscilla. Cecilia says to keep in touch, keep your art director in the loop, don't ghost them. If you have a problem, let your art director know. She also points out that art directors and editors talk to each other. if you get a reputation of always being late, then that will have repercussions.

Always keep learning, Cecilia advises. Stay humble. Learn to LISTEN. Never assume you have all the answers or know everything. Cecilia says she still takes notes at conferences.

Lots more great info and advice shared in this session, not just from the panel but also in the (very) active text chat!

More about the panelists:

Priscilla Burris, Illustrator Programs Consultant. Website: PriscillaBurris.com.

Dana Carey, International Illustrator Coordinator. Website: DanaCareyArt.com.

Laurent Linn, Art Director at Simon & Schuster, Author/Illustrator. Website: LaurentLinn.com.

Cecilia Yung, Art Director at Penguin Random House. 

Paul O. Zelinsky, Illustrator and Author. Website: PaulOZelinsky.com.

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If you want to view this session to hear the full content, along with the rest of the conference, register at https://www.scbwi.org/events/summer-conference-2023. Replays of the conferences will be available until September 10th, 2023.

Also be sure to check out the Faculty Conference Bookshop and the Portfolio Showcase!

Q&A With SCBWI Illustrator Advisory Committee

Last event of today: Q&A with the SCBWI Illustrator Advisory Committee: Peter Brown, Priscilla Burris, Pat Cummings, Laurent Linn, Cecilia Yung and Paul O. Zelinsky. They also invited two Illustrator Coordinators to join in: Dana Carey (Global Illustrator Coordinator) and TeMika Grooms (U.S. Illustrator Coordinator).

One of the frequently asked questions was to how illustrators could submit their work to Laurent and Cecilia, and Laurent gave specifics during the session as well as posting info in the chat.

Some of the other topics discussed:

Topic: Is it ok to submit a picture book as an author-illustrator team rather than separately?

Cecilia said that while most art directors and editors prefer finding their own illustrators, she says it's fine to submit as a team. However, she points out that if they don't like either the art OR the writing, you're more likely to get a rejection. Also, be wary of coming across as too controlling, which may turn off potential publishers.

Topic: Is it ok if I post multiple art styles on my website?

Priscilla says it's ok to show multiple styles on your website as long as it's well organized.

Cecilia says she only wants to see things "that you're really really good at." Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses re: techniques and styles. She points out that if you're unable do this, then an art director may wonder if this would affect your work while illustrating a picture book.

Laurent advises illustrators against trying to emulate styles that you think others want to see. "You be you." Paul Zelinsky strongly agrees. He says that if you try to be like everyone else, you're less likely to be satisfied in your career down the road.

Topic: How do I find out which specific people at a publisher who might like my work?

Pat advises looking at current books that you LOVE, then you have a better chance of finding an editor and art director who might have the same tastes. Pat says  The Original Art catalog may help track down this info.

Topic: If a publisher is closed to unsolicited submissions, does that also apply to art?

Laurent says not necessarily. He points out that he welcomes postcard samples at any time, for example. 

Topic: Where can I find critique groups?

TeMika Grooms encourages illustrators to reach out to their regional groups and get involved with their local critique groups. She also says to check The Book (mentioned in next paragraph) for useful info as well.

Other takeaways:

Dana Carey strongly recommends illustrators check out The Book: The Essential Guide To Publisher For Children, available as a free PDF (for members) on the SCBWI website. The Book has a TON of essential info covered in the Q&A, critique groups, publishers, etc.

TeMika Grooms: Stay the course. Make sure you keep work on improving your craft. Remember self-care. Take breaks, but don't let the breaks go too long.

Paul Zelinsky: When you feel stopped or discouraged, try some new art material. Even if you're not planning to use it for your book illustration work, it can help jumpstart your creativity again.

Pat Cummings: Find your community. She also encourages illustrators to attend regional conferences, which could be a great way to meet people in the industry you want to work with. Do what you love, put it out there, and believe in yourself. 

Priscilla Burris: If you're blocked, try putting on some music you loved from your early teen years (or earlier!); sometimes this can help bring out a different part of you that you've forgotten. Don't be predictable. Be you. Let the characters speak to you as you sketch daily. Let them move you.

Peter Brown: Don't be too precious about your work. Remember that publishing is a business. Be able to take constructive criticism. Be an idea factory. It won't be as painful if you're rejected if you have lots of ideas.

Cecilia Yung: Remember that the eyes are the windows to your soul. Eyes, eyebrows, eyelids, directionality. Squeeze as much emotion as you can from the eyes. If you're having a challenge, then you should rethink how you draw eyes.

Laurent Linn: It all comes down to purpose. What do you have to say, and why do you want to say it? That is what is going to make your art stand out. 

And that's a wrap on today's programming!

Cecilia Yung: Art Directors Panel #scbwiWinter22

Cecilia Yung is executive art director and vice president at Penguin Books for Young Readers, where she oversees illustration and design for two imprints, G.P. Putnam's Sons and Nancy Paulsen Books. 

The majority of Cecelia's work is on picture books, so that's where she'll focus. Picture books are a very particular art form. A picture books is usually 32 to 40 pages long, typically for 4 to 7 year olds--readers who are also learning about life. Books can hep us make sense of ourselves and our world. Pictures become mirrors. We can recognize ourselves and the characters and their situations. Pictures become windows when they portray new characters and new situations and are authentic and believable. And books can introduce new ideas. 

Ceclia shares, "You have to see the story and feel the story." And she takes us through the beauty of the following books. 

WONDER WALKERS by Micha Archer 

IN A JAR by Deborah Marcero

THE CAT MAN OF ALEPPO by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

NINA by Traci N. Todd, illustrated by Christian Robinson

"Powerful picture book illustration help the reader SEE the idea behind the story FEEL its mind-altering world-changing possibilities."

#SCBWIdigital workshop: Laurent Linn and Cecilia Yung present "Two Art Directors Talking: The Theater of Picture Books"

Today's full workshop title is "Two Art Directors Talking: The Theater of Picture Books - The Art of Bringing Visual Elements Together For Storytelling."

Our experts are Laurent Linn (Art Director, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)
and
Cecilia Yung (Art Director and Vice President, Penguin Books for Young Readers).

Both Laurent and Cecilia are also on the SCBWI Board - so giving back to this community (including the 1,200+ of us watching live) is something they do with heart and passion.

Lin introduces them, saying that they both create picture books that are "as much works of art as they are books."

Clockwise, from top left: Lin Oliver, Laurent Linn, and Cecilia Yung

Laurent opens by speaking of how it's not just one thing, "It's everything coming together to tell a good story."

In reference to our current global pandemic, he says,

"Stories and art have survived through every catastrophe of civilization... Now is the time, not just the world needs your stories, but we - I'm a writer and illustrator also - we need to tell our stories."

Cecilia begins by discussing the inner life of the character or story, which transforms how we the reader see ourselves, and/or the world.

She suggests questions we should ask ourselves:

The most important question is "why?"
Who is your reader?
What is the take-away?
What is your difference - that unique something that only YOU can do to distinguish this book from all the other picture books that have been published?

They dedicate today's workshop to Tomie de Paola - calling him a master who "used the book as a stage."

Read Lin Oliver's remembrance of Tomie dePaola here.

Walking us through visual examples from books they've art directed, they teach us different principles.

From Misty Copeland's nonfiction picture book "Bunheads," illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey, Cecilia shows us the drama and theater of the illustrations.

Notice the top left page, where Misty is so dedicated she shows up early to practice but her friend is already there in the studio! Cecilia speaks more of how the illustrations in the book show that friendship, and the competition between them that drove each dancer to excel.

From the fiction picture book "Sulwe" by Lupita Nyong', illustrated by Vashti Harrison, Laurent points out how even the sky is a character:

"Nothing should be generic," He advises us, adding, “Often the more specific makes it universal.”

They speak and show examples from many more picture books, discussing character design, costume design, controlling the direction of a reader's eye, getting to the heart of the emotion, narrative, and so much more.

There's a Q&A that ranges from white space to compositional tools (line composition, color composition, and light/shadow), to the selection of an illustrator.

It's a master class in how two brilliant art directors look at and think about picture books and the illustration of picture books.

Thank you, Laurent and Cecilia!

Stay safe, all.
Lee

p.s. - Did you miss it? The video is available for 30 days to SCBWI members here.

Nancy Paulsen and Cecilia Yung: What We Look For in Picture Books

Cecilia Yung is Executive Art Director & Vice President at Penguin Books for Young Readers where she oversees illustration and design for two imprints, G. P. Putnam's Sons and Nancy Paulsen Books. She is fortunate to have worked with some of the major illustrators of children’s books, but the highlight of her work is to discover and develop new talent. She is on the Board of Advisors of SCBWI, as well as a member of its Illustrators’ Committee.

Nancy Paulsen is the President and Publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. The imprint publishes fifteen books a year and focuses on eye-opening, often funny picture books and middle grade fiction from diverse and distinct voices, especially stories that are inventive and emotionally satisfying. New York Times bestsellers she has edited include National Book Award and Newbery Honor Winner Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, and Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler. Other award-winning titles include Coretta Scott King Honor Winner Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and E.B. Lewis; Looking at Lincoln by Maira Kalman and Leaves by David Ezra Stein.

Kudos to Nancy Paulsen and Cecilia Yung who -- during a power outage -- used only their voices to speak to a packed breakout session about how they collaborate on distinct picture books with authors and illustrators. They read aloud from works such as The Chupacabra Ate the Candelabra (written by Marc Nobleman, illustrated by SCBWI mentorship winner Ana Aranda!) and Daniel Finds a Poem (written and illustrated by Micha Archer) and discussed their objectives and what they look for in authors and illustrators, both.

Here are a few notes I wrote down as they discussed illustrators who use texture, color, and distinctive technique to enhance the words on the page. 

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Catch more of the conference highlights this year through blog posts tagged #LA17SCBWI or as-they-happen on Twitter.